The Books

Awesome news, Vampire Diaries fans! The CW have updated the premiere dates for both The Vampire Diaries and The Originals to a week earlier than originally planned! Furthermore, for the premiere week and following week, The Originals will airing on the same night as The Vampire Diaries, so double your vampire fun! After this, the schedule should normalise, with The Originals in its Tuesday evening slot, and Reign taking the Thursday night slot after The Vampire Diaries. Whew! Got all that?

In Summary:

The Vampire Diaries premieres:Thursday, October 3rd, 2013, 8/7c

The Originals premieres:Thursday, October 3rd, 2013, 9/8c
Then moves to its regular timeslot with episode 2:Tuesday, October 8th, 2013, 8/7c
With an episode 2 encore:Thursday, October 10th, 2013, 9/8c

These dates are for North America. Sorry international fans, we don’t have any dates yet for other countries yet, but we’ll let you know when we do!

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I’m sure the writers had a pretty clear picture where to take Stefan storywise next, only struggled how and what to show about him while he is entrapted in the safe.

My crazy theory what will happen to Stefan is like this: Already in episode two everyone will figure out Stefan is actually Silas and it will end with Stefan being fished out of the quarry. The following episode they will try to revive him, which will be tricky since his body had completely shut down from all the drowning and coming back to life. Without swallowing reflex and stone-like skin it won’t be easy to find a way to get blood into his system. During all this we will get more glimpse into his hallucinating mind. And when they finaly manage to wake him, his mind will repress all the trauma and Stefan will suffer a memory loss as far as back to his human days. Allowing him a fresh start.

Debbie

Really great theory! I wouldn’t be surprised if he has trouble with blood consumption, my hope is this experience will improve his blood issues. Memory loss would also would make it much easier to see delena together, and I would love it if he forgets drowning.
Wouldn’t it be awesome if the mf gang have to convince him that he’s a vamp?

I wish it were that easy and be a happy ending….but my thoughts, he’ll unfortunately come back darker, with worse issues to deal with not better ;(

Thirsty Like A Vamp

Season 3 and 4 were already pretty intense for Stefan and his fans, first being the Ripper again and then crazy Stefan trying constantly to kill Klaus followed by his struggle to come to terms with Elena as a vampire plus Delena being together mixed with the sirebond.
Not sure how they would accept even a darker version of him. Paul can have fun with Silas in that department.

Amnesia would enable the Salvatore brotherly bond to be restored to times when they still were human, not separated by loving the same woman, and face together Silas and other threats heading to MF.
We could see Stefan that isn’t in love with Elena, so they can be friends.
His relationship with Katherine could be redefined.
And yes, even his blood issues, without the guilt of killing his father, forcing Damon to finish the transition and all his other victims from Ripper times should make it easier for him to enjoy vampirism.
There is the doppelganger mythology that probably will have dire consequences for all of them.
Tired of the shipper wars I’m just playing with ideas, different scenarios to bridge the months till the new season starts.

Debbie

Your explanation makes a lot of sense..I hope it’s that happy of an outcome for Stefan!

Debbie

I see this very differently. Damon didn’t just jump in the sack with Elena, and it wasn’t just any old one night stand. Damon waited, and waited and waited for 3.5 seasons, loving this girl from the next bedroom where she slept with his brother, sacrificed everything for her. Them sleeping together didn’t just happen overnight, it was combined with months and months of deep feelings from both d and e. he deserved her. if anything, I think e should be complimented with finally dealing with her true feelings.

Yes, stefan was hurt..he was more hurt by the breakup…but i dont think they intentionally sought out to hurt him, it was just the right time, and for once e did what was right for her, not for anyone else. Should Elena have been upset when s was angry, no–but I don’t think she was upset, i think she felt guilty, maybe a bit hurt that he slept with enemy. Lets face it, s is not perfect either. should they have waited, maybe, but sometimes it’s just right.

Andrew55

They have not been waiting 3.5 years. They were not a couple, S/E was. Were the fans waiting that long? Yes but Elena hasn’t been waiting that long and neither has Damon. I mean Elena didn’t even start acknowledging feelings for Damon until S3 and Damon didn’t start really pursuing his feelings with Elena until Katherine told him she didn’t love him.

Damon found out that Stefan broke up with her that morning and then bam….he is sleeping with her that night. Who does that? Especially after he knew that his brother was upset about the whole situation. The fact that Damon slept with Elena is not disgusting, whoever says that is just spiteful, but the fact that he didn’t even wait a day after Stefan told him he broke up with Elena was disgusting, selfish behavior. I don’t how you can say it isn’t. I am not trying to be mean but really…he couldn’t control himself at all.

I mean, maybe this is just me, but if I were a D/E fan I would have wanted to see them be in a relationship for awhile and then have a build up and lead up to sex. It makes it more special and meaningful. Their sex scene came across as lustful and not love. And before anyone takes offense to that….I AM NOT SAYING THAT THEY ARE NOT IN LOVE NOW BECAUSE THEY ARE, I BELIEVE THAT.

dman_24

Yes, Elena sleeping with Damon is a complicated matter, but I think it was handled the wrong way by the writers. It was kind of an insult to Stefan and SE fans that the SE relationship was barely over and they slept together. The writers were too impatient with this. They wanted to satisfy the DE fanbase and they sacrificed good storytelling to do so. They also made Elena — who’s notoriously indecisive and picky — seem sort of promiscuous and cold, not stopping one second to think of Stefan’s feelings in all of this before hoping into bed with Damon. And from what we’ve seen before–that’s not like her. She’s much more considerate than that. They handled this situation all wrong.

BTW, please don’t tell me they had a relationship beforehand–I know that (but I know you’ll still try. Haha!). I still think they(DE) could’ve taken their time with this, considering the complexity of the situation (brother’s ex-girlfriend and all) and the time necessary for unresolved feelings to dissipate. Can’t say I approve of how things went down.

dman_24

Couldn’t agree with you more bro!

Andrew55

Agreed. The writers could have easily developed the relationship and had them build up to the intimate scenes later in the season. That way they could have still pleased the D/E fans, still achieved the story the wanted to tell, and not insult the entire S/E fan base. It was handled poorly and rushed. Not only did it insult the S/E fan base but it made D/E look cheap and lustful. Which is unfortunate for all sides involved.

carissa21

I do agree with you that the writers rushed things too much but they did if for a reason and I don’t think it had anything to do with fanservice. It had to do with the story they were telling and the way they wanted it to be presented to the audience. They wanted to cast doubt and make things appear “wrong”. It was never their intention to have DE sleeping together that first time seem an organic, natural occurrence. It was their lead-in to the sire bond, after all.

That being said, it’s a pet peeve of mine when people say DE slept together the day or day after SE broke up. That’s not true. We have no idea how many days passed between the break-up and when Stefan told Damon about it. It could have been a day, it could have been several days. Then, after Damon found out, it wasn’t until the following night that Elena came to the boarding house, not the same day.

It doesn’t matter, though. A week or a month – it would still seem too soon under the circumstances it was presented. S4 writing and story was problematic for everyone, regardless of whom your favorites are. It was a tough season for everyone to watch. I have hopes for S5, though. TVD is allegedly going back to a more character-driven format, as it used to be.

Debbie

This one sleeping with issue is complicated…I’m sure lots of people disagree with me. I stand by my old statement that damon loved e since s1, e had feelings since s3 maybe even before-and in that way, it was not too fast it was a long time coming.

Gwen

Hey noni…thanks for the response…yes, the whole eavesdropping thing with Stefan & learning Elena’s choice, I tried to imagine another / better way the writers could have done this scene…if they had done what Andrew55 had suggested, waited until Stefan left the house before Elena made her declaration than Stefan would have been at the bottom of the lake wondering what choice Elena made & hearing Lexi’s voice in his head…” Stefan, what if what she feels is for you” Wow, how awful would that be? Also, if she had told Stefan face to face (either before/after Damon) chances are he would have argued with her over her decision or tried to change her mind, which more than likely would have prompted a fight with Damon… so in reality I believe the writers made the best possible choice for Elena’s declaration. Stefan hearing Elena’s choice w/o argument and Lexi by his side was the way to go….

Also…I found your following statement to be very interesting and was wondering if
you could elaborate?…”Stefan lives and functions in the land of denial about so much of what’s going around him that it has become a survival technique”

I can definitely see Stefan in denial about Elena’s feelings for Damon…one example in particular that I could never figure out is the scene at the Salvatore house right after Elena told Bex under compulsion that she slept with Damon because she was in love with him, not because of the SB. However Stefan still believes Elena’s feelings have everything to do with the SB.. why? He knows what being under compulsion feels like…he forgot all about Klaus/Rebekah from the 1920’s to present day, because Klaus compelled him to do so…that shows me the power of compulsion but yet when Elena under compulsion (remember she has to tell the truth) tells Rebekah the reason she slept with Damon was because she loves him he does not believe her…he also knew that the SB affects “actions” not “feelings” WHY not believe her? Was it pure denial?

Is this the type of denial you referring to in your post?
ps…sorry for the long reply

Debbie

The season in general went too quickly with not enough detail, isn’t that the theme of the season ;). But in this case, I don’t know how wrong it was because of their long history, and because I thought it would lead to something more serious…but I like most was disappointed. All it lead to was. Well, a sire bond…

Andrew55

But see to me…having a long history is not the same as being in a relationship. So maybe that is where we are having the disconnect in our discussion. But I think we can both agree the sire bond was a very odd story line and didn’t really make any sense. :)

Andrew55

And you have every right to believe what you believe. You may be right and I may be wrong. I’m just having fun discussing with someone that has differing views. It helps me and makes me question my own logic sometimes. So THANK YOU!!! :)

dman_24

Dude, you are reading my mind! I feel the same way about the differences between “friendship” and “relationship” in regards to DE throughout the seasons. And yes, the Sire Bond was odd. Don’t let me get on another rant about the stupidity of it. I think I’ve said enough.

Andrew55

Exactly. Friendship and relationship are two completely different things.

Debbie

Great observation…I think our disconnect is about the history of their relationship…I purposely say relationship because in my opinion thats what they had in s3, not just friendship. It was 2 people who deeply cared and loved each other who just stayed away from each other out of compassion for Stefan, because of elenas guilt, and yes, in part because Elena couldn’t get over Stefan. That doesn’t sound like just friendship to me. So now i get it, what happened in s4 didn’t seem as sleazy because to me, it was just a natural progression which should have lead to more…not just 2 friends hopping in the sack together out of lust.

I won’t go on about the sb either, but what I will say is this-the sb was created so that fans can find reason for Elena finally sleeping with Damon, that it would seem a little more logical. Considering we’re still debating this 10 months later, I’m not really sure the writers reached their goal!

Debbie

Just to add one more quick point, I’m not as upset with Damon sleeping with e right after breaking up with Stefan, because in my opinion they never should have gotten back together in the 1st place. their relationship was over before it began. To simplify it, After everything that happened in s3, Stefan felt very little other than guilt, resentment for losing his human girl, and I think he had already lost Elena’s trust. I don’t blame them for retrying, they too had such a long history they needed to see if anything was still there. But really, their relationship to me should have ended long before it actually did.

Thirsty Like A Vamp

Oh, we know happiness doesn’t last long in MF. It would be just a starting point from there on things can go messy as always. Would history repeat itself, again? Would Stefan fall for Katherine, Elena, both, neither? With Katherine human now and the brothers vampires the situation is physically reversed from what it was 1864. Damon is in love with Elena and is loved back, but before that his heart belonged to Katherine for almost 150 years. Stefan with a mindset similar to 1864 wouldn’t be wary and suspicious of her actions. How would Elena react to this Stefan who isn’t afraid to let go and party hard? Then reading in his journals Stefan can open a whole new can of worms.
I just see more situations they could go with a tabula rasa Stefan than a Stefan who stared into the abyss so long that it became him. But I’ll be happy to be proved wrong come fall.

Gwen

Once again, Elena has changed, not only is she is no longer the girl from S1, she is now a vampire…her emotions are heightened (remember S/E in the woods…S1 Elena would have never behaved that way)…also if you recall Caroline/Tyler had hot vamp sex soon after she broke up with Matt…Caroline/ Tyler even described what is was like being a newbie vampire…your emotions are in over-drive and you are horny all the time (to quote Tyler). So for Elena to act on feelings she had for Damon really comes as No surprise…what really sucked was Caroline/Stefan chit-chat through the entire D/E love scene.

Timing thing really does not matter. S/E had broken up. Both were free to do what ever they wanted (yes, the writers could have shown more sensitivity but for whatever reason they rushed it…shame on them)…in fact who knows if Stefan was not hell bent on growing Jeremy’s mark (per Klaus’s order) he may have taken Damon up on his brother-bonding invite, and got together with some girls. What would S/E fans think of saint Stefan if he had gone out clubbing with his brother? As Lexi would say let go/ move on.

Also as a D/E fan…yes it would have been nice for a little romance especially during the Ms. Mystic event but if you recall Stefan threw a wrench in any romantic plans for D/E at that event by forcing Jeremy to grow his mark, which sent him into hunter mode, which made Jer want to kill his sister, which forced Elena to move out, where she ended up on the Salvatore’s doorstep, which made Stefan feel guilty and leave. Thus, leaving Elena with her newbie vamp emotions in overdrive and newly discovered strong feelings for Damon. So No not surprised she slept with Damon.

The writers have purposely made D/E relationship the complete opposite of S/E as it should be…As Damon once told Elena…I am not Stefan so stop trying to turn me into him. Fans should remember that. So Stefan may have waited longer longer than Damon to hook-up after a break-up…Stefan more romantic…Damon more passionate… Stefan takes things slower…Damon knows what he wants and goes for it…To view D/E relationship like you would view S/E relationship is just not fair. I believe both are more enjoyable when viewed separate.

Andrew55

You make tons of sense and I understand where you are coming from. I am not saying you are wrong and that I am right. I would never assume that I am right about everything and I may not be right about this. But there is something about how they transitioned from S/E to D/E that bothers me. Should I just get over it? Probably. And I will once this season starts but, for now, it’s just going to bother me. I can’t help how I feel.

But like I wrote before, I appreciate all you D/E fans and your enthusiasm. I really do. And I hope this season is everything you want it to be. :) I have no hard feelings towards D/E or it’s fans. I just have a hard time with how the writers have dealt with the triangle and frankly I am hurt as a Stelena fan. It’s been a rough couple of seasons. But I realize it must have been rough for you D/E fans too over the years. So now I am just in the same boat as you were. :)

Gwen

Debbie …guess what I agree 100%… surprised right? Actually, I have really been enjoying everyone’s posts. Imagine that, S/E & D/E fans disagreeing on the triangle? Well, at least the website is seeing a lot of action!

Agree, if S/E relationship was so strong and amazing (I refuse to use the word epic) they should have been able to withstand the true test of Elena turning into a vampire. But it just crumbled. Both became their own worst enemy… Stefan
letting his guilt /resentment drive Elena away and Elena lack of trust /honesty
about how she was feeling for fear of hurting Stefan’s feelings caused a deeper
cesium between them. I am not naïve D/E
will have their own issues but they know how to fight / argue/ challenge each other, and work things out. It will not be easy at first especially for Damon; he is in love with someone who returns that love & he is truly happy. He will try not to hurt Elena’s feelings at first by keeping things from her but they will eventually get out & outside forces will pile things on which may seem impossible for them to overcome but I really think they can do it. In fact I am looking forward to Elena finally fighting for Damon and their relationship.

With regard to S/E getting back together?
Not sure…I really do want them both to be happy but they need to realize they
cannot go back (no more rainbows and unicorns), nor should they want to. They have both changed, grown up and need grown up relationships.

Sorry this is long but One last point…I noticed several posts about how the
writers could have been more sensitive to Stefan…the hook-up…Elena’s choice…my
?? is when are they going to start being more sensitive to Damon? Like Elena said…it’s only Damon right, rip
away…fans have gotten so use to Damon being the fall guy they just expect it…I
hope S5 Damon finally starts getting some credit…especially from E and S.

Debbie

I was thinking the same, If fans of the show are so unforgiving of Damon and his actions, how are the characters on the show gonna be? I don’t think car will suddenly be nice to Damon do you, and Elena will be living with her…and how will matt handle their happiness?! Elena has never been great with peer pressure, it’s going to take some fighting ESP. In the beginning. Not to mention new female characters, kat who will be knocking on his doorstep, it’s naive to think he’ll totally ignore her…But like you i think they will survive in the end, he fought so hard to be with her he deserves a little happiness.

S and were great together in s1 and 2 you can’t deny that. But it was young love with Stefan as her hero. As soon as he was no longer her hero (a combo of her becoming stronger and her lost trust in s) they were doomed from the start. But now will be a new beginning. my guess on Stefan-drowning will affect him so much he will not be the same. I haven’t figured out yet how he will change, but my guess Elena won’t even be in the picture for him anymore, at least not right away. This could change their relationship substantially, it could either make e want s more, or truly make them friends. Will a new Stefan favour a human kat? I have always thought of s and kat as endgame, look at their history! Maybe this will be there chance? If e’s ready to be with anyone that is…

Debbie

The more I think about this, the more it makes sense! I know for sure s will not come back the same, though I’m still torn on how different…maybe memory loss will be the one thing to really change him for the better. Elena calling him the worst vamp at the end of s4 might have been the final goodbye to the vamp that we know. I don’t think elena will be in the pic for him anymore, at least not right away. Then i have to question will elena want him more or can they truly be friends? and yes kat ESP human kat will have a huge affect on him, he’s always favoured humanity (even though I’m not convinced that even as a human, she’ll win any humanitarian awards anytime soon, 500 years of being manipulative won’t just disappear over night, it’s her survival technique). But the best thing that can happen, d and s can finally be happy as brothers, with far less tension and we get to explore more family history.

It’s naive to think Damon is 100percent over kat, even though in 4.04 he said she just doesnt do it for him anymore. There might be a moment of weakness on his part, maybe even a kiss but it will be over fast…he’ll have a hard time forgetting how much she hurt him.

Kate

I promise we don’t post things unless we’re sure they’re true. We do not post rumors or speculation, just official information from the network.

Gwen

Hey Thanks for responding to the barrage of questions/posts. I really like the show and can get too analytical in assessing what is happening. So I really enjoy hearing other viewpoints and the passion fans feel towards certain characters. Whether you are a D/E fan or a S/E one thing I think we all can agree on is that the writers have done so many things that bug us and left so many plot holes it can be extremely frustrating at times.

If you do not mind entertaining one last question…what sort of lasting effect will being in the quarry have on Stefan and his strong feelings for damon & elena? Will he emerge bolder, inspiring, and willing to start living his life for him? Just curious…

Thanks again…:-)

Gwen

I agree Elena’s friends (car, matt but not Jeremy, I think Jer will be in Camp-Damon) are going to challenge her relationship with Damon, and it is about time she stand up for him. It was so frustrating watching her friends rip on Damon and her go along with it, could it be peer pressure, maybe, but she had no trouble standing up to Damon and putting him in his place, not sure why she did not do the same with her friends. I can’t wait to finally see her defend her man and we may actually see her get jealous for the first time. Can’t wait….

Yes, the young sweet love of S/E was wonderful in S1 & S2. S was E’s hero in S1/ S2 but did Damon become her hero in S4? I just re-watched parts of “The Departed” and it is like deja view. The scene where Elena tells Matt why she chose Stefan? OMG it makes perfect sense why she picked Damon in S4. She tells Matt that after her parents died she did not know how to live, like she didn’t want to and that being with Stefan she was able to figure it out, and that is what love should be, you should love the person who makes you feel glad you are alive…that is what I think Stefan missed in S4 but Damon got it and why Elena chose Damon in the end…because D made E feel alive.

You hit on one of the most fascinating questions for S5…What will Stefan’s personality/ mental state be once he emerges from the quarry? Will he be bolder? Inspiring? Will he be decisive? Will he have a new outlook on his relationship with Damon and Elena (like a mama bear protecting her young)? I think you are right he will more than likely be in vengeance mode, and not have time to start up again with Elena; he will also have Tessa and Nadia to deal with. Lexi spent an awful lot of time trying to convince Stefan to move on from Elena, we will see if he takes her advice. I would really like to see Stefan in a passionate, fiery and challenging relationship for a change… maybe Nadia or Katherine (a lot of unfinished business there– he finished things with Bex, now I think it’s Kat’s turn)? Either way a break from the triangle would be nice.

Gwen

Yes, D/E definitely had a relationship in S3…that kiss in Denver and even on Elena’s front porch were not between friends…Elena was a willing participant.

Debbie

I agree it’s been fun, you have a lot of great views!

Andrew55

I’ll entertain as many questions as you want to give me because I genuinely enjoy discussing the show with you and everyone else on the site. :) I think Stefan will realize, after being locked in the safe and drowning repeatedly, that losing his gf and being mad at his brother are trivial things. I think he will gain a sense of perspective. I also think he will be a little bit unhinged because no one can suffer that type of trauma and come back normal. So I think he will be come back a more mature Stefan but also a little more dark/crazy when it comes to dealing with Silas.

Let’s hope you are right about his relationship with E&D, not only trivial but time to let go and move on. He may gain a unique perspective on his life, take stock and do things different…Lexi said that he needs to start living his life, not exactly sure what she meant (maybe he was living so much in the past and letting the guilt cripple him) but I have a feeling we are about to find out. I also agree he needs to learn to be the better villain regarding Silas, maybe some of these new characters will help him gain the upper hand. S4 was all about Elena becoming a vampire, S5 is about the Doppelganger, we will see how this bit of information might change him as well.

Andrew55

Thanks!!! Now this doesn’t mean I am giving up on my S/E dreams :) But I do think he needs to gain some perspective, move on and not treat Damon/Elena negatively. What I don’t want is Stefan being the reason for D/E breaking up, if they were to break up. I want him to grow as a character and maybe, just maybe, they can find there way back to each other. But he has to learn to love and accept who he is. Because it is hard to love someone else if you can’t even love yourself.

Gwen

Yes…maybe that is what Lexi was trying to tell him…Live your Life starting with Loving and Forgiving Yourself….Excellent…I like it…S5 is going to be so much about Stefan…I cant wait.

A Visitor's Guide to Mystic Falls is an anthology of essays that brings together today’s best YA writers of the supernatural to talk about the Vampire Diaries' first season, from the characters to the storyline, the magic and the town. Edited by Red & Vee. Due October 19th.

Go deep into the heart of Mystic Falls with this episode-by-episode look at the first season of The Vampire Diaries. Love You to Death: The Unofficial Companion to The Vampire Diaries is the essential guide to the show.

Stefan’s Diaries tells the story, as depicted on The Vampire Diaries television show, of the love triangle that would change the Salvatore brothers’ lives forever. This trilogy offers new insight into the wildly popular TV series and the epic love story that turned devoted brothers into mortal enemies. The first book, Origins, is due for publication on November 2nd, 2010. Find out more...

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